Imitating the Ship of Theseus—
Continuously replacing every fragment of matter that composes one's body.
Until eventually—
A completely new body, one that symbolizes "Destruction," is formed.
Lin Yi called this idea:
"Borrowing the Path to Ascend to Godhood."
Stealing authority.
Perhaps it was somewhat far-fetched.
Perhaps overly idealistic.
But…
Why not try it?
"Spin around~ spin around~ spin around~"
"Spin around~ spin around~"
This was a massive hall.
At the center of the hall stood a giant spinning top, constantly rotating.
On top of the spinning top stood a large Herta puppet, endlessly spinning along with it.
Zhuxing was currently showing Dongfang Qiqing around.
Following Lin Yi's instructions—
Familiarize her with the major areas of the Shenxiao Space City, and introduce a few important people.
A lively girl of thirteen or fourteen led another lively young woman of eighteen or nineteen.
They looked extremely close.
If not for their different hair colors—
One might have mistaken them for sisters.
Zhuxing explained:
"This is the hall near the Docking Entrance of Shenxiao Space City."
"It's also the largest hall here."
"The official name is the Reception Hall."
"It's used to receive and guide visitors."
"Of course… the members privately call it the Spin-Spin Hall."
Zhuxing pointed toward the center.
"As for the reason…"
"I think Qiqing-jie already knows."
"Look—"
"It's because of that 'Super-Sized Herta Spin-Spin Top.'"
Zhuxing looked around to confirm nobody was nearby.
Then she tiptoed and motioned for Dongfang Qiqing to lean closer.
She whispered secretly into her ear:
"Let me tell you a little secret."
"That spinning top was actually made by the teacher himself."
"To make it, he even researched perpetual motion, something he normally looked down on."
Zhuxing continued whispering.
"The teacher copied the mechanism of a cuckoo clock to build it."
"And for the decoration on top…"
"He dismantled more than ten Herta dolls."
Dongfang Qiqing blinked.
"Teacher Herta?"
She was surprised Zhuxing also called Herta "teacher."
Zhuxing nodded.
"Yep."
"You'll understand when we reach the Luminous Corridor later."
Zhuxing leaned closer again and whispered:
"Rumor says—"
"I mean rumor."
"When Aha saw this spinning top, he impersonated Herta and authorized manufacturers to use her likeness."
"So theoretically…"
"This spinning top is the first one ever made."
Dongfang Qiqing inhaled sharply.
"So that's the origin?"
The Herta Spin-Spin Top was currently a product famous across the universe.
Dongfang Qiqing had even bought one before.
Now she finally understood where it came from.
As more people began entering the hall—
Zhuxing stopped gossiping and resumed a more serious explanation.
"This reception hall mainly handles visitors."
"It's the public face of the space city."
"The decorations are luxurious and many expensive materials were used."
"But honestly, it isn't a particularly important area."
She pointed toward the reception desk.
"The person over there is the permanent receptionist—Cameli."
"She belongs to the Logistics Department of Shenxiao Space City."
"She used to work for the Interastral Peace Corporation, in the Interastral Peace Network division."
"She was actually an employee under the famous host Jimi."
"During one of the teacher's travels they met by chance."
"She gathered the courage to ask for an interview."
"And then the teacher hired her away from the company with a high salary."
Zhuxing nodded approvingly.
"Since she studied journalism and worked at the IPC, she's perfect for handling sudden situations and dealing with unexpected reporters."
People nearby had begun noticing Zhuxing and Dongfang Qiqing.
Zhuxing nodded politely to those she knew.
Then she quietly tugged Dongfang Qiqing's sleeve.
"Qiqing-jie, there's too much traffic here."
"Let's just say hello and leave."
Dongfang Qiqing nodded.
"Alright."
She turned toward the people around them.
"Hello everyone."
"I'm the new City Lord of Shenxiao Space City."
"Today is basically our first formal meeting."
"You've probably already heard about me these past few days."
"I'll likely gather the heads of each department for a meeting later."
"The meeting will be livestreamed."
"That's when we can properly introduce ourselves."
Dongfang Qiqing understood something clearly.
This wasn't like Herta Space Station, which Asta funded entirely herself.
Nor was she like Asta—
Who had been the station chief from the moment the station was built.
She had parachuted in suddenly.
Even if a Genius personally appointed her—
Others wouldn't openly oppose her.
But building working relationships would still be difficult.
After all—
Anyone who could enter Shenxiao Space City was an elite genius in their own right.
Everyone had their own pride.
So…
Perhaps it was time for them to experience some corporate culture impact.
…Just kidding.
Implementing corporate culture in a place dedicated to academic research?
That would probably get someone beaten to death.
Definitely.
Zhuxing led Dongfang Qiqing through the Reception Hall.
Soon they entered the Luminous Corridor.
From the moment they approached it—
Zhuxing grew visibly excited.
She spread her arms and spun around.
"Look!"
"This is the Luminous Corridor!"
"How is it?"
"Amazing, right?"
"Magnificent, right?"
"Everyone who comes here for the first time is stunned speechless."
Zhuxing proudly introduced the spectacle.
After all—
The space city was her home.
Dongfang Qiqing was indeed completely shocked.
"These… these…"
"These are all Light Cones?!"
"And they're all different ones!"
"Oh my god!"
"An entire corridor paved with Light Cones!"
She touched the wall.
Then looked up at the ceiling.
"Even the walls and ceiling are made of Light Cones…"
She stared blankly down the corridor.
It was completely embedded with Light Cones.
The faint glow they emitted illuminated the entire hallway.
The whole structure radiated a quiet, shimmering light.
Zhuxing proudly explained:
"It's 394 meters long."
"30 meters wide."
"15 meters high."
"A corridor paved entirely with Light Cones."
"It's officially called the Luminous Corridor."
"Outsiders like to call it the Trophy Corridor."
"But that's nonsense."
"Sure, we did take some Light Cones from the Garden of Recollection…"
"But that's less than one-tenth of them."
"The rest were made by the teacher himself."
"Or generated by that Curio Camera."
The Garden of Recollection might respond:
Is it possible…
That the technology used to create Light Cones—
especially the complete version that even the IPC couldn't buy—
was originally stolen from us?
Dongfang Qiqing asked in disbelief:
"So many Light Cones…"
"You just place them in such a busy public area?"
Zhuxing shrugged casually.
"Yeah."
"Anyway, nobody can pry them out."
"Even if they try."
For Early Access of Chapters please visit patreon.com/UchihaAce